naneun babeul meokgi jeone soneul ssiseo.

I wash my hands before eating a meal.

Breakdown of naneun babeul meokgi jeone soneul ssiseo.

• ~을: object particle
• 먹다: to eat
• ~는: topic particle
• 나: I
• 밥: meal
• 전에: before
• 손: hand
• 씻다: to wash

Questions & Answers about naneun babeul meokgi jeone soneul ssiseo.

Why do we say 밥을 먹기 전에 instead of just 먹기 전에 or 밥 먹기 전에?

• 밥을 먹기 전에 literally breaks down as 밥(rice) + 을(object particle) + 먹기(nominalizer ‘eating’) + 전에(‘before’ + locative/time particle).
• You can say 밥 먹기 전에 in casual speech by dropping 을, but formally you keep it.
• If you omit 밥 entirely and just say 먹기 전에, the listener only knows “before eating,” without specifying what you’re eating.

What exactly is -기 전에, and how do I form it with other verbs?

• -기 전에 is a time-clause connector meaning “before doing X.”
• Formation: Verb stem + -기
  • 전에.
    Example:
     • 공부하다 → 공부하기 전에 = “before studying”
     • 자다 → 자기 전에 = “before sleeping”

Why do we have 나는 at the beginning? Can I use 내가 or omit it entirely?

• 나는 = 나(I) + 는(topic marker). It sets up “I” as the topic of conversation.
• 내가(I + subject marker) is used when you want to emphasize or contrast “I” as the subject. E.g. 내가 먼저 할게 (“I’ll do it first”).
• In casual or clear contexts, you can drop 나는 altogether: 밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻어 is perfectly natural.

The sentence ends with 씻어. What form is that, and how do I make it polite?

• 씻어 is the plain informal (banmal) present tense of 씻다 (“to wash”).
• Polite informal: 씻어요 → 나는 밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻어요.
• Polite formal: 씻습니다 → 나는 밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻습니다.

How would I say “I washed my hands before eating” (past tense)?

• Change the verb ending to past tense: 씻었어 (banmal) or 씻었어요 (polite).
• Example (banmal): 나는 밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻었어.
• Example (polite): 저는 밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻었어요.

Can I switch the order of the clauses (washing hands vs. eating rice)?

Yes. You can express it by turning one action into an -고 나서 (“after doing X”) clause:

• 손을 씻고 나서 밥을 먹어. = “Wash your hands, and then eat.”
  But if you want to keep the original “before” structure, 밥을 먹기 전에 손을 씻어 is the most natural.

I sometimes hear 먹기 전 손을 씻어 without the -에 in 전에. Is that correct?

• In very casual spoken Korean people often drop particles: 먹기 전 손 씻어.
• Grammatically, 전에 is 전(“before”) + 에(time/location marker). Without -에, you lose the clear time-marker function.
• For textbook and clear speaking, use 전에. In relaxed speech, dropping it is common.